Civil War: Role of Rifles in the Evolution of Tactics in the War - Essay Example

CIVIL WAR: ROLE OF RIFLES IN THE EVOLUTION OF TACTICS IN THE WAR The American Civil War continued from 1861 to 1865 and was one of the bloodiest wars of those times for both the fronts fighting in the war. It destroyed homes and families and people lost the sanctity of their minds. The American Civil War caused terrible slaughter on the people, which was mainly due to the use of inappropriate and old-fashioned battle tactics while using newly improved ammunitions and weapons. It was certain from the beginning that no matter what kind of weapons was used by the soldiers, the Civil War would bring about a lot of slaying as both the sides had high prices at stake. While the South was fighting to maintain their government, which allowed slavery, the North did not want division of the states. War broke out and the rifles became a major tactical weapon of this war. (Dupuy, 82) The military leaders of that era were aware that the use of the improved rifles in the war would certainly change the tactics that were used on the battlefield. At the beginning of the war, most of the rifles had slow dismissal muzzles. Thus, the men were grouped together to form a huge volume of firing unit, which would cause more damage to the opposition making them leave the battlefield. Although, later on, the effective range of the rifles and other weapons improved, the basic formation of the men remained the same. If the men were arranged in small groups then it would be very difficult for the leaders to properly control them and make them fight. Thus, to avoid such chaos, the units of men were properly trained in the weaponry division. The officers attempted to train the soldiers such that the troops could deliver their maximum potential and use their firepower properly to avoid losing. For example, the Zouaves were taught to drop down on the ground suddenly before the opposite unit could strike at them, then suddenly rise and charge them with their bayonets. However, when there were failures the troops, and not the tactics, were blamed. Griffith mentions, "It does seem to be the case that tactical attacks in the Civil War attained their local objectives rather less frequently than those of Napoleonic times, although that does not necessarily mean that they were less useful in determining the final result of hanks or campaigns." (Griffith, 29) We also saw the use of a number of new and improved military techniques in the war. There were many revolutionary developments in the use of ammunitions and firearms. The improvement in the use of the Mini Bullet or Mini Ball allowed a person to load the rifle and fire it at a greater speed than what was possible earlier. The most important developments came in the rifles, which played a key role in the development of the tactics of the war, although they were not new to the fighters. Earlier a pan of gunpowder was used in the firearm. However, before the war the percussion cap was invented where a cap was used to light the gunpowder in the firearm. This made it possible to use the weapon in almost all weather types. The percussion lock also improved the rate of firing of the rifle. The manner in which the musket barrel was rifled was also improved. This had a positive effect on its accuracy and range. Earlier the effective range of the smooth bore musket was only about 300 ft. Thus, this created dangers for the bearer. Nevertheless, after rifling the barrel, the effective range was increased to about 750 to 900 ft. Thus, this made the bearer of the gun more deadly and dangerous. A huge improvement was also made in the firearm design of the multi-shot rifle. The 1855 model and later on the 1861 model rifles adopted the use of the .58 caliber and made it there standard for the infantry weapons. (Woodworth, 34-7) Infantry was the primary combat section of the military in the American Civil War. The infantry of the American Civil War mainly comprised of the foot soldiers and mostly had small weapons in the beginning. However, as the war progressed there were many changes in the tactics of the battle and a new style of war was seen in USA. Entrenchments, repeating rifles, musket rifles and military balloons were widely used and caused the death of many people. The officers and the generals slowly developed changes in the age-old battle tactics. The slow firing weapons, although advanced, were not widely used. Most of the soldiers were comfortable with the smooth bore, short-range rifles and muskets and did not give importance to the power of the modern and advanced weapons. Certain improvements were also made in the short-range muskets. The soldiers used to load the musket rifles with small pellets together with single small round balls. This technique was called "Buck and Ball". When they fired their gun, it produced a scattergun like effect. The men in the infantry also used other weapons like pistols, shotguns and knives. Some men even took spears with them. Nevertheless, the rifles truly revolutionized the American Civil War. (Woodworth, 34-7) The main weapons used during the American Civil War were the Muskets. They were loaded through their muzzles and black powder had to be poured into them. Then the soldiers had to drop into it a round lead ball, use the ramrod to pack it downward and then fire it. Although these were the most common Civil War weapons, carbines, Gattling guns and repeating rifles were also used. The revolving carbine and the breech-loading carbines and rifles were also widely used. The breech-loading carbines and rifles were loaded from their backs. The Henry rifle was also very famous during the war. The repeating rifles and the Gattling Gun were not used in many battlefields. (Snell, 1) One of the most preferred rifles during the American Civil War was the 1861 Model Springfield Musket. It was produced in the Massachusetts' Springfield Armory and in other places. It had interchangeable parts and a rifled barrel. It fired out a .58 caliber mini ball and the musket used a percussion cap. Its barrel was 40 inches in length and weighed around 9 pounds. It was not only extremely accurate but also highly reliable. It had a longer range than its predecessors did. Its barrel had a number of rifled grooves to increase its accuracy. Its effective range was deadly around 600 yards but it could hurt a person 1000 yards away too. An enhanced 1863 model was also produced although everyone favored the earlier 1861 model. In addition, the Maynard tape primer, which was present in the earlier models, was eliminated as they became unreliable in damp and rainy weather conditions. It was also expensive and consumed a lot of time in production. (Haskew, 176) One of the British rifles that were widely used by the Confederacy was the Enfield Three Band Percussion Rifle or the 1853 Enfield PatternRifled Musket. It was said to be the second most widely used weapon of the war and was used by both the North and the South. Just like the others, it too had a similar rifled barrel and had been patented in the year 1853. Not only was it easy to load but also it was reliable, accurate and was not spoiled easily. It had a .577 caliber muzzle-loader. The Berdan Sharps Rifle or the Sharps Rifle was also used and was a falling block rifle. It used an odd pellet primer feed but a typical percussion cap. The US Army's sharpshooters mainly used these rifles and they soon came to be known as the Berdan's Sharpshooters. They had very high accuracy then other muzzle loaded musket rifles. This was mainly because its quality was fine and because its breech loading system had a much higher rate of firing. Its Carbine version had also become very popular in the cavalry. The metallic cartridges that were later developed came about from the falling block action mechanism. (Dupuy, 82-6) The M1860 Spencer Repeating Carbine was not only one of the first of these rifles to be used but also the most popular of them. It had a rimfire of 7 shots and was loaded using magazines. This Spencer Repeating Rifle had to be manually operated on a lever action. The cartridges were fed into it through a tube from the magazine. Although it did not replace the muzzle loaded musket riffles, they were widely used by the cavalrymen. The Spencer Carbine version was lighter and shorter. This lever-operated rifle was of .56 calibers. In order to obtain the used shell, the soldiers had to work the lever and use the tube to load the new cartridge. Then they had to manually cork the hammer and fire the rounds one by one. Once the weapon became empty, the Blakeslee Cartridge Box could be used to load fresh cartridges into the tube. Then the M1863 rifle was introduced, which was mainly produced at the US Richmond Armory. Nevertheless, when the Confederate Government took over the Armory, the Johhny Rebs, which were made of iron, replaced the side plates and the steel triggers. In order to make the weapon cheap while manufacturing these changes were made, as the Confederate Government did not have enough funds. (Haskew, 177-9) The Richmond High Hump Musket or the 1862 Confederate Rifle was also widely used and was made in Virginia. The rifles that were damaged during production were altered and then issued sometimes. The Whitney-Ville M1861 Navy Rifle, also famous as the Plymouth Rifle, was widely used. It was highly recommended for production by a famous ordnance officer of the Union Navy. A Confederate weapon was also made in Athens called the Cook and Brother Calvary Carbine. Brothers who were English immigrants produced these. It had become one of the most booming and the largest of the Confederate Armory. During the war, the Henry Repeating Rifle was also used. They were produced at a plant in Connecticut's New Haven and were originally designed in 1860 by Benjamin Henry. 15 rounds of fire could be held by the magazine, which was placed right below the barrel. It was also said that in a minute we could fire 45 shots from the rifle. Since it was so fast, it was called the rapid-fire rifle. The ammunition it used was also newly patented just as the gun was. (Dupuy, 82-6) Apart from the rifles a number of pistols, which served the same purpose as the rifles, were also used. One of the most interesting pistols used in this time was the Cogswell Pepper Box Revolver. It was a 6 shot percussion pistol and had a barrel that could be rotated. For quick reloading, the bearer used to carry extra barrels. The women and the civilians also used it. One of the bizarre Navy pistols to be used was the Duckfoot Percussion Pistol. It was also known as the Early Mutiny and Riot Pistol. It was a weapon that was 3 to 5 barreled and the barrels were pointed in a spread out manner similar to a duck's feet. That is why it was named so. In order to hit multiple targets in a huge crowd of people, all of the barrels fired simultaneously. However, these pistols were not favored by most, as they were highly inaccurate. Originally, it was a British Naval Flintlock Pistol, which was redesigned by the US Navy and used as a percussion pistol during the war. Another weird pistol that was used was the Bowie-like blade. It was produced in Massachusetts and 150 sword pistols had to be purchased for it. Officially, the US Navy used the earliest percussion handgun. (Dupuy, 91) As said earlier, along with the rifles pistols were also widely used in the American Civil War. The 1860 Colt Army Model was a favorite of the Union. It was an upgraded model of the 1848 Dragoon Pistol. It was a 6 shot pistol and had a .44 caliber. The 1861 Colt Navy Model was preferred in the South. It had a .36 caliber and interchangeable parts. It was not only well made but also highly reliable. The Starr Revolver was also widely used. It is also a 6 shot, .36-caliber pistol and a double action weapon. Its advantage was that we could use either ball and powder or cartridges in them. Thus, it was a double action handgun. However, later it became a single action handgun to make its production cost effective. It was also very reliable and durable. Another widely used weapon was the Le Mat Revolver. The pistol was a little different since it had two barrels. It was a 9 shot, .40 calibers, and cap and ball pistol. (Haskew, 181) Nevertheless, we could also shoot a .63 caliber buck with the barrel situated at the bottom. It was just like a shotgun and was effective from close range. The most popular weapon of the U.S. Calvary was the M1869 Schofield Single Action Revolver. It had a .45 caliber. The barrel was 8 inch wide, it had a wooden grip, and to make loading the bullets easy a top latch was provided. The Model 1849 Pocket Revolver was a .31 caliber, 5 shot pistol and came in two sizes. It was either 6" or 5" long. The barrel was 3 inches wide. It was actually a slightly smaller edition of the Colt M1851 Navy and was meant to substitute the Baby Dragoon. The Double Barrel Derringer was small but very handy and was produced in the year 1866. It was very light as it weighed only a pound and its length was significantly small, 4.75 inches. The Baby Philadelphia Derringer was also handy and small. As it was very small, it was best used as a secret percussion weapon. It was 6.5 inches and weighed 1 pound. Many also favored the 1860 Sharps Derringer. Tucker and Sherrard Revolvers were not very popular and not used by many. Its production quality was very poor as many even backfired. (Dupuy, 82-6) The range of target of these Civil War weapons was amazingly accurate. Although they are considered primitive as per our modern standards, they were very impressive at the first look. However, in reality most of them were able to produce minor causalities on either side before they were improved. Most of the cartridges that were produced during the war were either wasted, got wet or were dropped. Although the military had, to some extent, accurate weapons and trained units, most of the shots that were fired by them missed their actual mark. This is due to the ballistic trajectory of the old muskets, which fired a round shot and the new ones, which fired a mini bullet. The mini bullets were conical and weighed more then the round balls of the muskets. The powder charge that was used was same. As a result, the round musket balls followed a straighter path than the mini balls at a very close range. However, as the mini balls had a curving trajectory the soldiers needed to be very accurate in estimating the distance of their targets and adjusting their rifles accordingly. If the calculation failed, the shots would pass the opposition without harming them at all. Another reason is that it takes quite sometime to properly load the rifles and the soldiers became nervous trying to fire the rifles as fast as possible. (Lanham, 1) Works Cited: Dupuy, Trevor Nevitt; The Evolution of Weapons and Warfare; Da Capo Press, 1990 Griffith, Paddy; Battle Tactics of the Civil War; Yale University Press, 2001 Haskew, Michael E; The Sniper at War: From the American Revolutionary War to the Present Day; Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2005 Lanham, Howard G; Firearms and Tactics of the American Civil War: A Minority Opinion; Tripod.com; 2007; Retrieved from http://members.tripod.com/howardlanham/weaponstactics.html Snell, Kelly; The Evolution and Influence of Tactical Warfare in the American Civil War; Civil War Home; 03/26/05; Retrieved from http://www.civilwarhome.com/tacticalwarfare.htm Woodworth, Steven E; The American Civil War: A Handbook of Literature and Research; Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996 Read More